This article reports the results of research carried out in London using five-year-old children of working class and middle class backgrounds. Speech samples were collected and compared on the basis of grammatical categories. It was discovered that working class children used more pronouns than their middle class counterparts in third person…

This paper, based on a book on the assessment of minority students, is a critical review of the research done heretofore on intelligence testing. It deals with such issues as: the social criticism of testing through numerous lawsuits, court rulings, and in the positions taken by the Association of Black Psychologists and the American Personnel and…

This evaluation report consists of a description and longitudinal analysis of the long term educational impact of the Learning to Learn Program on children from poverty backgrounds. The program is based on the principle that children's development follows an orderly sequence of growth from motor to perceptual to symbolic stages. The results of…

Designed to explore the determinants and long-range consequences of individual mobility in the U.S., the Explorations in Equality of Opportunity Project is a longitudinal survey of 2,077 students who were tested by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) as sophomores in 42 public high schools in 1955 and who were followed up by the Institute for…

Problems in the interpretation of standardized tests used to group children of limited backgrounds, cultural bias in tests, and the misuse of tests are considered. Reports on the use of specific tests with disadvantaged students are reviewed and some of the efforts being made to provide better interpretive data are discussed. Alternative…

To determine the effect of two verbal formats (aural and visual) on learning time and performance when the instructional objective was principle learning, a standardized reading test was administered to 115 male vocational students in Grades 10-12, and 15 high reading ability students and 15 low reading ability students were randomly assigned to…

An inquiry into methods of assessing the ability of non-English speaking children, conducted with the aim of devising new tests which can be used to assess the abilities of children from a different cultural background and with a poor knowledge of English, is discussed in this book. Cross-cultural tests which are essential in a multi-racial…

Some of the controversial issues involved in the use of objective tests by institutions of higher education, as this use affects the selection and attendance by members of minority groups, are reviewed. Admissions committees now rely on the ability of a test to predict students' performance at their institution to guide their selection. However,…

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN COGNITIVE APTITUDES AND VARIED INSTRUCTIONAL TREATMENTS (TEACHING MATERIALS AND TEACHER METHODS) TO DETERMINE IF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY MINIMIZED BY ALTERING THE CONTENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL TREATMENTS TO FIT THE COGNITIVE APTITUDE PATTERNS OF INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS. THE…

Examines a program in Denmark that uses metalinguistic games and exercises to stimulate preschool children's discovery of the phonological structure of language. Concludes that phonological awareness can be developed outside the context of the acquisition of an alphabetic writing system, and that this awareness facilitates subsequent reading and…

A proper proportion of low-income participants and children of color should be identified for gifted/talented education programs. A modified quota system can be implemented by combining the use of intelligence tests and behavioral scales with individualized selection procedures that provide special consideration for poor, minority, and handicapped…

In this review of the research on how current computer learning environments can foster the acquisition of complex cognitive skills, two issues emerge: (1) what cognitive accomplishments are likely in the computer environment; and (2) what factors predispose students to benefit from the environment. (MBR)

Reports data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics concerning enrollment trends and projections in public and private preprimary, elementary, and middle schools; minority enrollment trends; and trends in teacher employment, state and federal school support, school use of computers, student reading abilities, and adoption of…

A growing body of evidence indicates that the test scores of low-income children drop significantly relative to their higher-income counterparts during the summer months. This study finds that a well-implemented summer learning program can improve reading skills and increase the extent to which parents encourage their children to read during the…

Parental reports of 585 children's childcare experiences during the year preceding kindergarten were used to index the extent of children's involvement in three types of childcare: center-based (e.g., daycare center, Head Start, preschool), informal (e.g., relative-based or sitter-based) and parental. Childcare choices covaried with household SES,…